"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." – Helen Keller

The ABC’s of Our Lives in Jordan

A few years ago, I wrote a post entitled The ABC’s of Our Lives in Taiwan. So to continue that tradition, I call this edition, The ABC’s of our lives in Jordan.

A is for Amman and Arabs. We have come to love them both.

I think the guy on the right likes Cecily.

B is for Brown and Blue. In Jordan, the sky is always blue and pretty much everything else is brown. C is for Camels. We love them, even though they smell really bad. D is for the Dead Sea. It’s good for floating in, skin softening mud, exfoliating salt, and beautiful sunsets. E is for Embassy. It’s a lovely facility and I wish I could show a better picture, but this is as close a shot I can get without being … well … shot. F is for Food. Specifically Flatbread, Figs, and Falafel. Seriously, you gotta try them!

G is for Garbage Can Cats. Another name for street cats. They live in all the dumpsters. We’ve been known to give them somewhat condescending names like Botulism, Salmonella, and Bubonic Plague.

Our friend Typhus.

And sometimes we play with them–which kinda grosses out the locals.

Noah playing with Hepatitis A and B.

H is for Hijab. Worn by most Muslim women and a few Barbies. I is for Israel. Our next-door neighbor which has our other favorite I thing: Really good Internet. We enjoy visiting, but we’re really glad we live in Jordan. J is for Jerash (the ancient Roman city famous for its amazing ruins) and Jordan River (the site of Christ’s baptism). Both are important historical sites, but one is prettier than the other. K is for Keffiyeh. The traditional headdress of Arab men. It normally comes in black or red.L is for Livid Husband whose wife took a picture of him with Garbage Can Cats.

Jason hangin’ with his BFF’s Malaria and Cholera.

M is for Mosques. I love the Call to Prayer that sound from them five times a day. N is for Neatly Lined Rows. I love the grocery stores in Jordan. They are the nicest I’ve ever seen overseas. They carry lots of American products, though at exorbitant prices. (Example: cereal runs $8-$12 per box–and not Costco size boxes). It’s a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” kind of thing. They provide our American products, and we pay their inflated prices. Everyone’s happy! (Except Jason, he’s not that happy about it.) O is for Overseas School Trips. Cecily has done school trips to Qatar and Ethiopia. Ben went to Dubai and later this year he’s going to Vietnam. Later this week, Noah heads to Kuwait. (The only photos Ben took in Dubai were of fancy cars.)

Ferrari 458

McLaren MP40

Lamborghini Aventador

Rolls Royce Phantom

P is for Petra. We’re proud to have one of the Seven Wonders of the World in Jordan.

Petra’s Treasury

Petra’s Monastery

Q is for Queen Rania. In 2011, Harper’s and Queen magazine named her the most beautiful queen or first lady in the world. (No, I have never met her.) R is for Refugees and Ruins. We have lots of both.

Ben’s Eagle Scout project was to provide backpacks and school supplies to Syrian refugee children.

Settlement began at the Amman Citadel over 7,000 years ago.

S is for Sheep and their Bedouin Shepherds.

T is for Theater–as in the Roman Theater in downtown Amman. U is for Unbelievably Delicious Hummus. I’m completely ruined on hummus. V is for Vegetable Stand. My favorite place to buy produce is from this Egyptian family-owned produce stand. They even take my produce to my car. I love them!

W is for Water. Recently, Jordan fell from 4th most water-poor country in the world to 2nd most water-poor. Water is a big deal here. Conservation is vital. Also, like most of the world, tap water in Jordan is not safe for consumption. Consequently, we only drink and brush our teeth with bottled water. Most Americans don’t realize how rare it is to have safe tap water.

Our source of drinking water–our kitchen water cooler.

X is for Xtremely Cute Husband. (I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again!) Y is for Yes, We Got My Mom on a Camel. See the video here. Z is for Zero Regrets.